Bf 109F

German Luftwaffe Messerschmitt fighter plane

Bf109 F

Messerschmitt Bf 109F Type: German Luftwaffe fighter plane. History: In the time of the production of the Bf109 E for the Luftwaffe, Messerschmitt had been
developing what was to become the finest of all the many versions, the Bf109 F. Powered
by either a 1,200hp DB 601N or a I,350hp DB 601E engine, the Bf109 F represented a considerable advance over earlier series in terms of both performance and cleanliness of line, and at last gave the Luftwaffe a fighter that could outmanoeuvre the Spitfire V.

This Bf109 F is standing outside a hangarette camouflaged as a barn at an airfield in northern France.

The
entire fuselage was cleaner aerodynamically, culminating in a more rounded rudder, an unbraced tailplane and a retractable tail-wheel; the wings, of slightly increased span, were rounded off at the tips; and performance at all altitudes was better than that of
earlier models.

Production series ran from F-1 to F-6, with various sub-types. Several F-series aircraft were used as testbeds, the items evaluated including BMW 801 (radial) and Jumo 213 engines, a V-type tail unit, rocket weapons, and a nosewheel landing gear.
A prototype never flown, but none the less of interest, was the Bf109 Z of 1943, in which two Bf109 Fs were 'twinned' by connecting them by a new, common wing centre-section and tailplane, the sole pilot being intended to occupy a cockpit in the port fuselage.

This Messerschmitt Bf109 F is carrying on its nose the cockerel's head insignia of III.Gruppe (group) Jagdgeschwader (fighter group) 2. The vertical strip on the rear fuselage confirmed that the aircraft belonged to III.Gruppe and the chevrons in front of the fuselage cross indicated that it was flown by the Gruppen Commander.

By 1942 the Bf109 F had been supplanted in production and service by the most numerous version, the Bf109 G.